Get in touch with your roots

Get in touch with your roots

Learn how to trace your ancestry at Arkansas State Archives and Arkansas Genealogical Society symposium

Arkansas State Archives LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas State Archives and the Arkansas Genealogical Society will host a symposium on Sat., May 6, at the WPA Gymnasium in Historic Washington State Park from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., Department of Arkansas Heritage Director Stacy Hurst announced today. The symposium’s theme, “In the Genealogical Trenches: Tracing Your Wartime Ancestry,” will feature speakers Mark Christ, Mike Polston, Peggy Lloyd and State Archives staff member Mary Dunn.

Topics include Arkansas Commemorates the Centennial of the Great War; Heaven, Hell or Home by Christmas: Untapped Sources Documenting the Role of the Arkansas Soldier in the Great War; Genealogical Reconnaissance: Researching Military Records; and Modern Military Records: A Changing Society Documented.

“The centennial commemoration of World War I provides an opportunity to focus interest on a conflict that often gets lost between the American Civil War and World War II,” remarked Dr. Lisa Speer, director of the Arkansas State Archives and state historian. “We are excited to be teaming up with AGS on this symposium for people who want to learn more about World War I, and how to conduct their own research into it.”

The seminar is free to attend but registration is required. Deadline for registration is Mon., May 1. Registration is limited, so be sure to make reservations soon. Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. Teachers can earn up to four professional development hours through attendance. Lunch will be provided.

The Arkansas State Archives is an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and is responsible for collecting and maintaining the largest collection of historical materials on Arkansas in the world. The State Archives has two branch locations: the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives is located in Powhatan and the Southwest Arkansas Regional Archives is located in Washington.

Other agencies of the Department of Arkansas Heritage include the Arkansas Arts Council, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

For more information about the symposium or to register, email events.archives@arkansas. gov or call (501) 682-6900.

From Danyelle McNeill